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He said pupils used the tablets “to surf the net, find photos of Kim Kardashian and hurl online insults at each other”.

Parents have been urged to splash out on the devices, which are used even in primary schools.

One of the tragedies of this age is children coming to class shattered because they have been up all night playing computer games on their iPads

Tom Bennett

In recent years there has been a rise in “internet addicted” teens, with many taking tablets to bed at night.

Bennett, a father of one who taught in London’s East End for a decade, said parents must make a stand.

“One of the tragedies of this age is children coming to class shattered because they have been up all night playing computer games on their iPads,” he said.

“I speak to the parents and say: ‘Your child is very tired in class.’ They say: ‘I don’t know what to do. He stays up on his iPad all hours.’ I say: ‘This is a 12-year-old — you are the parents. Take it off him.’ ”

However, many educators disagree with Mr Bennett.

In 2013, Derek Trimmer, the former head of Hove Park School, East Sussex, said making sure every pupil had an iPad helped the school become the second most improved in the South East.